Benzema to make United wait

23 Jun 2009 09:33:05

Karim Benzema's agent has hinted his client would like to remain with Lyon for another season before moving to a bigger club.
The France international has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United this summer as Sir Alex Ferguson seeks a replacement for Cristano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
The Red Devils are now a striker light after Tevez rejected a five-year contract to remain at Old Trafford following the conclusion of his two-year loan deal.
Benzema is one of the hottest properties in European football and has been tipped to join the Premier League champions in a deal that could be worth up to £35million.
Ligue 1 stayHowever, his agent Karim Djaziri says his client wishes to remain in Ligue 1 for another season and stay under the watchful eye of Raymond Domenech in order to cement his World Cup spot.
"He wants to stay in France for another year so that so he can prepare for the World Cup finals and I think Sir Alex knows this," explained Djaziri.
"Perhaps he wants to make an offer to Lyon. Then Karim will think about it."
Meanwhile, Djaziri has praised Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas for seeking the best deal for the 21-year-old.
Businessman
Aulas has tested the water in the wake of Real Madrid's blockbuster summer deals for Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, but is quite happy to reject any offers if they fall short of his valuation - a strategy Djaziri backs.
"With what's happened it is logical the chairman is putting out feelers," he continued in France Football.
"He has opened the door to see what happens, but he is capable of rejecting offers if they don't match what he wants.
"He is acting like a real businessman. We can't hold anything against him for that, because that is his strategy."